True Colours
by SummerdayOne
Summary: From Underground city to Survey Corps , She was his constant.
1. Chapter 1 : Prologue

_**True Colours : Chapter 1 - Prologue**_

The Underground City , where most of the criminals resides , where most make a living out of illegal activities , a place where the sun light will never reach , a wretched place where there is no justice and righteousness. Human trafficking is one of the most successful family business here in the Underground District , the organization kidnaps children , buys them from parents with unplanned pregnancy or simply , pick the abandoned ones up from the streets. It is not uncommon for kids to be abandoned as countless families here live in poverty and barely had enough to feed themselves ; Everyone here selfishly lives for themselves and only for themselves. Children who are more fortunate than the others will be named by their biological parent before they are raised and sold as products. Boys are often sold as slaves to rich families living on the higher ground while girls are commonly sold to Brothels as prostitutes or as house maids to rich families. Lucky children would be traded with cash to desperate married couples who couldn't bear any off springs. Children in the human trafficking business never leave the home beyond the age of 13.

Born out of wedlock , out of a shameful deed of infidelity between a rich merchant's daughter and a lowly military soldier , Elizabeth Franklin was forcibly sold away as an 9 months old infant to the Underground City by her disapproving grandfather. The act of adultery was discovered after Elizabeth was born. The once well reputed Franklin family name was put to shame ,and the couple was publicly exposed and humiliated in the middle of the busiest street in Trost district. Adultery was punishable by death. On a day prior to the execution date , the bodies of the star-crossed lovers were found hanged in their separate cells.

Elizabeth's grandfather mourn over the tainted name of his family and deem the infant as a filthy untouchable bastard. She resembles too much of the sin that his daughter has committed , raven dark hair like her mother , and large cold grey eyes of her father. He thought the most appropriate place for the untouchables to live is the Underground City , where the citizens there should never see the bright daylight , just like their crimes and the despicable lives they led. Elizabeth was quickly rid of and sold to the Underground notorious human trafficking organization shortly after the death of her parents. There ,Elizabeth Franklin grew up not knowing the identities nor the tragedy of her parents. She was fed with minimum nutrition and given numerous chores daily to complete as soon as she turns 6 when her motor skills were fully developed. She was a submissive and frightened child , never complained nor questioned what she was told to do , being afraid of the painful and harsh punishment that awaits her if she says otherwise. She was also an inquisitive girl with an intensely curious mind , always wondering what life is like on higher ground. What do people living upstairs do for a living ? How do they dress? How does sunlight feels like on her skin? What does the sky looks like? With her highly imaginative mind , Elizabeth would sketch and draw images of how she thought life is up stairs. Colourful buildings , man wearing fancy hats , stalls selling attractive yummy sweets , she enjoys composing her own ideal world in her head and from there , she developed a love for drawing. Never given an opportunity for education , Elizabeth will sometimes sneak out of the trafficking house unnoticed just to stand by the door of a small classroom. Lessons were only provided for children who were more blessed than the others , the more privileged children in the Underground city will be taught how to read and write by a tutor. Initially , Elizabeth will be shunned away countless times by the tutor only to return back the subsequent lesson. The determination of the young child impressed the tutor and Elizabeth eventually earned her place in the classroom by the back door. Even when she was not provided with any studying material , Elizabeth tried to learn what she could absorb at her best effort at every lesson , taking notes with stationeries she have stolen at the trafficking house. This went on for 3 whole years until a caretaker spotted her exiting the back door by chance. Elizabeth was ruthlessly punished , caned , starved , and given extra chores.

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" Get out you bastard! " The caretaker of the trafficking house threw Elizabeth out the front door and down the stairs to the cold hard concrete ground. " Learn your place before you break another rule again. " the middle aged old woman spat and cringed her nose in disgust before turning away and shutting the door behind her. Elizabeth hasn't been fed for 3 days , she was caught for taking candy off the table and refused to spit it out when berated. Her cheek swelled up with redness where the caretaker slapped her but she bit her jaw hard together , as if clinging onto the piece of candy for her dear life. Her petite and scrawny body lied motionless on the ground , still sucking on the candy she stole earlier. Her body was underdeveloped for a 11 year old child , shorter and much more skinnier than an average kid her age due to the lack of nutrition. Tired, hungry , and with nowhere to go , Elizabeth didn't try to escape from the trafficking house even when she was thrown out. The Underground district is not a big place , they'll find her eventually wherever she run to, she has no one to turn to anyway. Being in her state of hunger , she couldn't sustain herself for long. She contemplated on stealing food but her weak legs wouldn't bring her very far nor even fast enough to outrun a person with 1 leg. The corner of her mouth lifted up a little to a weak smile when she imagined a person hopping on one leg trying to chase her , finding a pinch of comedy in her head despite her situation. She contemplated about her past , there wasn't a single moment of joy she could find except when she was alone drawing or when she was standing by the classroom backdoor learning about the wonders of language. She thought about the tutor who showed her a little kindness by allowing her to attend his lessons , though they did not have an actual conversation , she greatly appreciates it. She contemplates about her future , she wondered where will she be sold to or will she even live pass today or die of hunger. Even if she dies today , no one will remember her nor have she got anything to lose , She has no future , she's worthless. " It will be good if i could die today. " Elizabeth thought to herself as she closed her eyes, slowly wanting to drift into unconsciousness.

" Hey girl , you alright? "

Elizabeth lifted her eyes weakly and tilted her head to match a pair of concerned grey eyes. Kneeling in front of her is a slightly older teenage boy with a head of pale brown hair.

" Guys , we got to help her. I'm carrying her back. "

Elizabeth felt her body being lifted up gently by a pair of strong arms and placed close to a muscular chest. She heard disapproving noises around her.

" She's probably from the trafficking house , we'll get into so much trouble if we took her away. "

" Yeah she might be trouble , just leave her at where you've found her. "

" The safe place is not an orphanage , you can't just pick up kids like that and adopt them. "

The boy spoke again , " Don't worry , i'll take care of everything. " .

He felt the gaze of the girl he was carrying and looked down to meet her blank , tired and distant eyes. The last thing Elizabeth Franklin remembered before she drifted into a slumber was a kind smile and a voice saying , " Hi , I'm Farlan Church , nice to meet you. " .


	2. Chapter 2 : Saviour

_**Chapter 2 : Saviour**_

Elizabeth woke up alone in strange place. The room was dark with a dim light shining through the small opening of the room door , illuminating the surrounding area. She hears noisy ramblings coming from outside the room. " Where am i ? " She thought to herself while sitting up from her lying position. Slowly , everything became clear to her at the remembrance of the last face she saw before she drifted off into unconsciousness. " Farlan Church…" She whispered at the thought of the teenage boy. As if on cue , the door opened slowly revealing an unfamiliar face of a teenager with a crew hair cut.

"Farlan! She's awake! " He called.

The door opened wider , the light source from outside poured into the room blinding Elizabeth's eyes. She squinted, allowing her eyes to get used to the brightness. Three other teenagers appeared from outside the room, Elizabeth recognized one of them who introduced himself earlier as Farlan Church. " I'm glad you're awake. " He spoke. Elizabeth couldn't help but stared at the tray of freshly baked bread rolls and glass of milk that Farlan is approaching her with , anticipating to devour everything, she hasn't ate anything for days after all. " You hungry? " Farlan asked , offering her the tray of food he brought in for her. Desperately , Elizabeth stretched out her thin arms to grab 2 rolls of bread , 1 on each hand and began eating them simultaneously. Without a care in the world , despite having 4 strange boys watching her intently while she chews with her mouth full , she finished a roll of bread in her right hand and grabbed the glass of milk gulping it down urgently.

" You sure are hungry. " Farlan chuckled.

" What's your name? Where are you from ? " He asked.

In the moment of hunger , Elizabeth have temporarily forgotten that she still have to return to that horrendous place to surrender herself and receive her punishment, and who knows what those horrible people there might do to her. In fear of being beaten up and starved again , she dropped the half eaten bread roll on her lap and bury her face in her palms. She hid her teary eyes while sobbing softly. Her sudden change in behaviour drove the boys frantic.

" Shut up Farlen! Look what you've done! "

" You guys shouldn't have crowded around her! Back off and give her some space! "

" I'll fetch more bread ! She likes bread right?! "

Confused by the bickering around her , Elizabeth lifted her head up showing her tear stained face and bewildered expression. All commotions seemed to stop at that moment.

" Hey , i'll reintroduce myself again. I'm Farlan and these are my friends. He's John , Samuel , and lastly , Yan. " The brown hair teenager spoke , introducing the gang as they stood in front of her grinning widely, waving in a friendly manner.

" So what's your name? " Farlan continued.

" I'm Elizabeth Franklin. " She said meekly.

" Are you from the trafficking house? " Farlan pushed on. Elizabeth lowered her eyes and responded with a small nod. " I have to go. Thank you for everything. " Elizabeth removed the blanket covering her small body and shifted her legs to get off the bed. She felt a hand stopped on her shoulder behind her. Elizabeth was uncomfortable with people touching her , it wasn't pleasant whenever someone laid hands on her as it always brings about a slap or a pinch , She turned and brought her hands up in defense. Taken aback by her reaction , Farlan promptly removed his hand. " You're just going to be sold away as a slave if you go back there. " He said in all seriousness and concern was plastered all over his face. " You've just escaped , you don't have to go back. "

" They will find me , " She paused , " I don't have a choice. ". Submitting to her fate , fact is she had no where to go , fact is she had no future , she was simply a victim of her own circumstances binded by a unpleasant obligation that she may never escape from. " We could help you. " Farlan tried to assure her. He remembered that he used to feel helpless , defeated and lonely. Until he met a small group of people who came from similar backgrounds , parentless , purposeless, and hopeless ; he stuck around with the boys and they drew strength from one another to live on in hope that their lives will change for the better. In the eyes of the others they are delinquents , but they knew that in order to survive in the Underground City , one must be tough. Living here is all about the survival of the fittest.

" I have created enough trouble for everyone, please let me go. " Elizabeth pleaded. She have witnessed kids trying to escape from the house , it doesn't end well . She do not want to be placed in a cage no bigger than a dog house for a very large canine. She have heard about what happened to those kind people who tried to provide temporary refuge for kids who have escaped , they have all became homeless with their houses burned. Some unfortunate souls have their bodies charred , unable to escape from the arson. Every sound mind in the Underground City all knew to not mess with the Colbert's family business. The Colberts are heartless creatures , they justify their actions as a punishment for those who tried to "steal" their slaves.

Elizabeth proceeded to push past the boys out of her way and ran for the door. They were kind people , she could not bear to get them into more trouble. The boys stood still, they understood that the Colberts are powerful and merciless , it is not wise to be associated with them.

" She's right , the Colberts are troublesome. There's nothing we could do. " Samuel spoke. There was an intense silence in the air , Farlan fixed his eyes on the widely opened door , frowning he wasn't about to give up so easily yet.

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Elizabeth winced at the pain of fresh bruises inflicted on her . The Colbert trader was furious when he found out there was one missing head count for meal attendance and poor Elizabeth was the cause. Despite surrendering herself , leaving the premises of the trafficking house was still an unforgivable mistake. As her punishment and also serving as a warning to the others , Elizabeth was beaten aggressively with a thick wooden stick in the main hall with everyone watching, she laid helplessly on the wooden floor in a fetal position , shivering in pain. Even with repeated questioning about her whereabouts , she refused to speak knowing it will bring an undeserving catastrophe upon Farlan and his friends , she would never bite the hands that tried to help her.

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Boldly , the group of teenage boys approached the front door of the Colbert's home with Farlan in front of the others acting as the group representative .Desperately trying to hide his anxiousness , he lifted up his kuckel and landed 3 knocks on the wooden door. Shuffling of footsteps were heard from the other side and the pounding of Farlan's heart grew louder at every steps that grew louder by the second. The door gaped open and a wrinkled eye peeped from behind.

" What do you brats wants? " the hoarse voice behind the door bellowed.

" I'm here for business. " Farlan stated with firmness , silently praying that no one could detect his nervousness.

The wrinkled eye raised its brow in surprise before the door opened fully to reveal a plump middle age man with a face that resembles an english bulldog.

" Business for? " He questioned.

" We need a slave. " Farlan replied unyielding.

The plump man let out a mocking laugh , " You twerps couldn't afford shit , what makes you think humans are sold cheap? "

" Save the mocking, state your price. " Farlan was getting a little annoyed. He absolutely detest it when adults look down upon youths like him. Being abandoned at the age of 9 , he had struggled for 7 whole years in tough conditions and managed to survive in triumph till today. His last memory of his parents , of a responsible adult has been voided since a long time ago. Farlen had gained independence throughout all these years that he had struggled to live.

The plump man acknowledged his sincerity , " 300 crowns for girls , 400 crowns for boys. " .

The stated price was definitely more than a fraction of what Farlan and his gang have earned and saved over the years in total , it will cost them an arm and an leg , and jeopardise the little stability they have if they insist to press on with the deal. They're living a somewhat comfortable life now, at least they wouldn't need to fret over their daily necessities like before. Earlier back at their hideout , the gang have discussed over the ways to save Elizabeth without putting themselves at risk. Samuel was at a disagreement with Farlan's plan but knowing his stubbornness , he reluctantly agreed to him. After all , Farlan had saved him too when he recruited him into his little group.

" Fine. I'll have my pick. " Farlan demanded.

" Tch , " the plump man clicked his tongue in annoyance before turning around , " follow me. " .

The boys followed the plump man's foot step into the house and they scan their eyes around in awe the moment they step inside. The interior was rich, clean and spotless . Shiny marble floor and, expensive looking vases and paintings were decorated along the hallway leading to the main hall. It was such a waste of a beautiful house , the looks of this place could deceive anyone from the vile business this place was built on , selling human slaves.

"Assemble! A customer is here! " The fat man hollered.

In an instant , the boys heard noisy footsteps coming down from the second floor and other parts of the house. Unkempt looking children started to appear in front of them , lining up orderly in double file. Farlan counted quietly in his mind , 13 children , 9 boys and 4 girls , awaiting to be sold to rich families or brothels as slaves or prostitutes. His heart ached for them , he was powerless , he couldn't save them all even if he wants to. Their eyes reflected a sign of defeat and hopelessness , just like Elizabeth. Farlan scanned around for a familiar face and failed to spot any.

" Are these all you have? " He questioned. Elizabeth was not among the 13 children.

" These are all the healthier ones. You wouldn't be interested in a sickly looking slave. They are all between ages 8 to 12. " the fat man rudely retorted.

" I'm looking for a maid with specific looks. Do you have any girls here with dark hair ? " Farlan probed on carefully while trying not to reveal any signs that he had prior contact with the girl.

" Tsk , you're a different kind of picky. Oi Franklin ! Get down here now! " the pudgy man called out frowning in annoyance.

The boys heard soft footsteps slowly approaching , anticipating to see Elizabeth's face. Shortly , a petite girl appeared from behind a wall entering into the main hall ,her eyes widen in shock when she spotted 4 familiar faces. "They should not be here." Elizabeth thought as she lowered her eyes trying to hide her expression and joined in the formation with the other children.

Farlan studied Elizabeth from head to toe as he approached her , placing a finger below her chin and tilted her head up to meet his gaze. It was not the kind expression that Elizabeth had saw earlier , this time he was emotionless , his eyes were cold and there was no smiles that assured her. He took a prolonged look at her face before stepping back.

" She is exactly what i'm looking for. I'm willing to pay 100 crowns for her. " Farlan stated coldly.

" Oi Kid are you shitting me? I quoted 300 crowns for girls and you're offering less than half of it! " the trader shouted , he was close to running out of patience to entertain Farlan.

" She's a defect , too thin and look at all those bruises. I'm looking for a presentable looking maid , not a prisoner of war. It is your duty to feed her and groom her to make her look presentable for the buyers. She clearly hasn't been fed well and who knows what kind of health complication she'll bring later on looking at her current state. " Farlan retorted , partly stating the truth and deriving a tiny sense of pride from talking down to the trader. John nudged him a little reminding him to not poke too far.

" I refuse! Don't you dare to short change me you twerp! " The plump trader was angered and started to intimidate the boys but Farlan stood his ground.

" 150 crowns! That is all i am willing to pay! Take it or leave it. I know children beyond age 13 will be harder to sell off at a good price in this child trafficking business , and i doubt the brothels will want any sickly thin unappealing girls. This will be my final offer, the ball is in your court. " It was a risky gamble , it all lies in the choice of the trader which would unknowingly change Elizabeth's fate to a great extent in the future.

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For the first time in her life , Elizabeth felt like there was hope. She walked out of the Colbert's house as a free man after staying there for 11 years , she felt her chains tied to her miserable fate were broken , she felt empowered , she was saved by a kind stranger name Farlen Church , it was fate that she happened to be at the right place at the right time , meeting the right person at the right time. The air around her felt fresher , and her foot steps magically felt lighter than before , at that moment she forgot all about her pains and hurts.

She felt a nudge on her arm , she turned her and met the familiar warm eyes of her saviour. " I'm sorry, i didn't meant what i said just now. About you being a defect , looking sickly thin and unappealing. " He said meekly . " Anyway , now that you're with us , welcome to the family. " He flashed her a kind smile again , a smile that she'll get used to. She didn't care about what he had said , Elizabeth was more than grateful to him , and forever she would be.

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 **Writer's Note :**

Hi there ! Thank you for taking time out to read. This is my very first attempt at writing a fanfiction. If you want to , you could leave me a review, it will be appreciated (: Cheers ~~~

 **Spoiler :**

Levi makes his appearance in the next chapter.


	3. Chapter 3 : A Worthy Opponent

**Chapter 3 : A Worthy Opponent**

Time flew like an arrow , it had been 5 years since Elizabeth left the God forsaken Colbert's house and joined Farlen's gang. He had taught her every means to survive , from petty crimes like stealing , survival skills like fighting , and even included her in high risk illegal activities like drugs trading. He had introduced to her the first taste of alcohol , her first assignment on bets collecting , and her favourite den in the entire region of the Underground City , the bare knuckle fight club.

Elizabeth's eyes sparkled with wonders when she had the opportunity to make her first visit as a 12 year old girl to the fight club. It was during one of her assignment as a bet collector when she chanced upon a fighter named Levi Ackerman. No older than Farlan , He was one of the youngest contestant in the club , yet his moves said otherwise. Elizabeth could only watch in awe with wide eyes as she witnessed the match , his moves are fast , sleek and accurate. As if watching a dance performance , his body moved gracefully but every punch and kick he landed on his opponent was deadly. By word of mouth , she learned that Levi Ackerman used to be a regular in the fight club when he was in his early teenage years until he got involved in doing dirty works for the rich where he was paid well. Levi's appearance in the fight club became a rare occurrence now , it was hard for Elizabeth to chance upon him to watch him fight again. However , his records remained clean of defeat : 97 matches , 95 wins , 2 losses , 48 one-hit-KO.

Elizabeth's encounter with Levi Ackerman had intrigued her and triggered her interest in the art of combat. She would recall his movements and recreate them on her sketchbook , serving it as her guide while she practice with the gang. She revisited the fight club on countless occasions to watch other skilled fighters and hopefully to catch Levi Ackerman in action again. However to her disappointment , he stopped showing up.

At age 14 , Elizabeth quickly surpass the combat skills of her gang. There was a limit to what Farlan and the boys could teach her, in order to improve further , she participated in her first match at the age of 15. In a year's time , Elizabeth proved herself a worthy opponent in the eyes of other contenders, earning the name " Swift" due to her great speed. Her well reputed name had also brought in a decent income for the gang , many had willingly paid to watch her fight ; her small stature and delicate features had also aided in deceiving others to underestimate her strength, Elizabeth was a wolf in sheep's clothing.

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Over the years , Elizabeth developed a special relationship with Farlan. She was fiercely loyal to him and in return , he placed all his trust in her , even assigning her the role to manage all finances of the household. Affectionately referred to as " Liz " , even nicknames calling was exclusive for Farlen , she wouldn't respond to anyone else beside him who calls her by that name. Elizabeth tirelessly served the gang for their needs daily without fail and any complains , even when the boys could be demanding at times when they urged her to learn a new recipe; she cooks and did all necessary housekeeping as a way to show her appreciation and gratitude , she understood that if it was not for them , she could probably be dead by now.

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It was Sunday again , grocery shopping had to be done at least once a week in order to have enough supplies to feed the gang. Elizabeth didn't mind at all , grocery shopping on sundays was always therapeutic as Farlan would always help her. The pair would have deep conversations and talk about everything under the sun ; about the possible future to come , about keeping a pet , about their dreams. There wasn't a need for them to exchange words constantly , they seemed to have master communicating through telepathy , there was never a moment of awkward quietness between them , only comfortable silence.

On their way home passing by a narrow alley , Elizabeth spotted a black tiny wobbling creature from the corner of her eyes. " Oh a puppy ! " She exclaimed as she excitedly approach the adorable canine. Kneeling down and gently lifting it onto her lap , she noticed it had an injured hind leg.

" What is it? " Farlan walked into the alley following behind her.

" It's hurt. " Elizabeth stood up on her feet while stroking the puppy as it lays comfortably in her arms , it was the softest and fluffiest thing she had ever touched.

The pair had talked about keeping a pet and it was a convenient time that they have chanced upon a suitable one.

" We could keep it and take care of it. " Farlen suggested. There wasn't a need for any discussion , they already knew each other's intention.

Elizabeth nodded with glee with a bright smile on her face. Farlen watched her affectionately as she gently pet the hurt creature , revealing a kind smile on her face. So much had changed over the years , no longer had she need to keep up with her tough facade that she had painstakingly built to mask her private despair, no longer she emit an unapproachable vibe around her , no longer will she cower and avoid interacting with others. It had took him some time to tear down her walls , but it was all worth it to him.

" Hey i forgot something , could you hold these for me? " Elizabeth urged as she placed the puppy in his arm and the groceries on the ground.

" I'll be back soon just go home without me! " she sped off leaving Farlan dumbfounded at her sudden change in behaviour.

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At a brief glance , Elizabeth swore that she had spotted a familiar face of the one who had inspired her to take an interest in martial combats , the one whom she yearn to fight and learn from , Levi Ackerman. It was a rare chance to meet such a skilled fighter like himself and she wasn't going to let her second chance go to waste. She should have been braver to approach him the first time but she was too afraid to speak to strangers.

Turning around a corner , she found a familiar back. " Hey! " She called out. He didn't budge. " Hey! Short one! " he stopped. Elizabeth realized her choice of word and regretted it instantly , it was the first description that came to her mind when she noticed his short stature. The man in front cocked his head and revealed an angry scowl, no doubt it was him. " What the fuck do you want brat ! " Elizabeth was taken aback , slightly intimidated.

" I've watched you fought in the fight club before. You are Levi Ackerman right? " her voice shook noticeably. The presence of this man was strong enough to make her falter.

" Tch , " he clicked his tongue in irritation , " Why do you care? " as he began to walk away.

" Hey stop! I propose a challenge! " She followed after him.

" Go home. I don't fight girls. " he waved lazily shunning her away.

Agitated , Elizabeth stopped to pick up a small pebble and proceeded to do the unthinkable, she pulled her arm back and threw the pebble towards him. It hit him right on the back of his head. Levi stopped dead in his tracks.

What seemed like forever , Elizabeth waited for the man to turn around , she might have offended him.

" Fine. If that's what you want… " Levi spun around listlessly and got into his stance. " Name ? " he questioned as his cold grey eyes bore into hers.

Elizabeth let out a gulp before reverting back her composure , she held her fists up , stepped forward and lean back to her battle stance , " Elizabeth Franklin , sir. "

" Ladies first. " He smirked.

Without hesitation , she charged towards him and launched her first blow.

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It was a satisfying match , Elizabeth understood why no one other than Levi Ackerman was crowned as the best fighter in the Underground City. His offenses were fast , precise and hard , he possessed the strength that she had lacked. He fought clever , knowing and targeting weak spots of the body. He was quick to dodge , it poses as a problem to land hits on him. He was flexible and elegant, but extremely deadly. Distracted and struggling to keep up after a while , she was pinned to the ground in defeat and spared off the last hit.

Before departing , Levi left behind 2 simple words that made Elizabeth's chest swelled in pride , " Not bad. " he commented . It was not much of a compliment but it showed that the skillful fighter had acknowledged her strengths and capabilities. Although defeated , Elizabeth couldn't seemed to hide her joy as she returned home to where Farlan was waiting for her.

" Someone's in a good mood. " Farlan teased as he took a bite of a raw celery stick. Elizabeth plopped down next to him on the couch , " i fought someone formidable today , " she let out a contented sigh , " he's a legend , i lost. " . Farlan raised his brows in surprise , it wasn't common that Elizabeth sing praises about other fighters , unless she had really meet her match.

Understanding her cue , she continued , " Remember Levi Ackerman? He still hold the top record in the fight club , though he probably had retired from there. " Farlan had watched Levi fought before , no doubt he was a very strong fighter. However , it had always been in his impression that Levi was a lone wolf , dangerous and does not seemed to get along very well with others. Since Elizabeth had took a special interest in him , Farlan decided to find out for himself what exactly was so intriguing about him. " Guess i'll sniff him out and pay him a visit soon then. He might be a good asset to the gang" he sneered. " Tsk. Be careful, he's' tough. " Elizabeth warned , she knew exactly what Farlan was planning in his head.

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 **Writer's Note :** I never knew writing a fanfiction could be this taxing , I'll continue posting again when there's more ideas ! Keep the commentaries coming , all is appreciated! Cheers ~~


	4. Chapter 4 : A New Addition

**Chapter 4 : A New Addition**

" Target acquired at 1 o'clock , prepare for ambush in 3 , 2, 1. " , Farlan gave his order and the other 3 boys jumped off the roof , pouncing on their target. Levi was sharp , he noticed that he was being watched and followed but he was patient , waiting for the right time to strike when the other parties were ready to makes their moves. With adrenaline circulating through his body , he snapped when he came into contact with his attackers. It was all over in a blink of an eye , Samuel , John , and Yan laid defeated on the concrete floor shortly , they were all amateurs to him.

Levi stood straight dusting himself off, " Quit hiding , what do you want from me? " he said flatly. Farlan leaped off the roof and landed steadily on his feet , " a little birdie told me you were a formidable fighter , i must say you've impressed me. " he smiled.

Levi stood silent , glaring at him with watchful eyes. Falan continued " Oh! Pardon my rudeness. I'm Farlan Church , and those are my comrades. " he took a little bow , " say , would you be interested in working together with us? " Farlan continued.

" No." Levi rejected, not even taking a second to consider. Taken aback by his forward rejection , Farlan pressed on with a hope to convince him. " You're strong, we could earn more if we work together. " Levi didn't seem interested in one bit , he clicked his heels and started to walk away from the defeated gang. " We have another strong member , you've fought her before. " Levi have absolutely no interest in working with or for anyone, he hated the obligation to interact with others and after all , he had being alone right from the start. No friends nor families , even his only kin , his uncle had abandoned and left him to fight on his own. For the past 20 years of his life , all he could remember was all the struggles he had been through, being beaten , stabbed ,starved , dirty and homeless for so long. However with each fall , Levi emerged even stronger than before. Even the most vile criminal in the underground city knew he's the one not to be messed with, this man had proven himself to be a fearless conqueror. " We could work for you, you could even make us clean or do your laundry if you like. " Farlan offered.

Levi stopped in his track. He had just moved into a bigger apartment a few days ago and the mess that the previous owner left behind gave him a headache, apart from the unsightly grey dust , there were so many strange stubborn stains around the house that just refuse to dissolve even with thinner , the condition of the house was disgusting but it was a good bargain for such a roomy cabin. It had took him a whole day just to clean a single room ,Levi was getting sore and pissy at cleaning his new house. " It would be a waste to not use a lackey when he had offered himself . " He pondered. " Tomorrow noon. At my place. " Levi ordered before making his way towards his house and closing the door behind him.

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" Look what i've got here! " Elizabeth exclaimed excitedly while lifting a piece of old dirty rag covering over the wooden pull cart , revealing the contents in it. Surprised at the loot , Farlen squinted his eyes suspiciously at Elizabeth " Where did you get those? "

" I have my ways. " she shrugged , " You mentioned that it looks fun , it seems pretty cool that those military police use it to fly. " Elizabeth placed her hand on the cool metal of the operating device , " you should try it Farlan . " .

Farlan furrowed his brows , he knew that sightings of the military police in the Underground City had started to becoming more common now, especially when the criminals are bolder. More and more of them had sneaked up to the higher ground to plot their crimes , the government had to interfere and took actions against this trend sending the military police to patrol underground. Some had been caught by the police and thrown into prison cells , Farlan was very well aware of the consequences should one be captured and charged by the legal system, he was guarded and careful about not crossing the line in his business to get the police involved.

Farlan was about to open his mouth to reprimand the young and incautious member for her lack of wariness , he stopped when he saw the eagerness in her eyes. He knew that whatever Elizabeth did on her own accord was to please him , she was always meticulous about everything he said , even the things that he had mentioned casually and didn't expect anyone to take it to heart , Elizabeth did. Like a time when he mentioned that the scramble eggs he ate at an eatery at the corner of the city was tasty , she went ahead to consult the chef and imitated the dish to serve him for breakfast the next morning unrequested. Elizabeth was always very willing towards him.

He let out a sigh and placed his hand on her head to ruffle her hair , " Thank You Liz, but be careful not to get into trouble next time. " . Elizabeth's lips lifted upwards showing her crinkled dimple on her cheek , she was only glad that she could helped Farlan to achieve what he had wished for , to experience the freedom of navigating through air with the 3D maneuver gear. It might be a little risky to cheat military weapons from military personnel , but it was worth it for Farlan.

" We could practice using these gears tomorrow after our meeting with Levi . " Farlen grinned , little did he know that he was going to spend more than just a few short hours at Levi's place and all the backbreaking chores that awaits for the gang to complete.

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 **Author's Note :** Back from vacation  & i know it's a short chapter. I'll update soon & Thanks for reading! For those who are following the story and who have left a review , Thank you once again it's much appreciated ( :


	5. Chapter 5 : New Landlord

**Chapter 5 : New Landlord **

Cleaning for Levi alone was tougher than cleaning for 4 slightly untidy boys living in the same house, no one had expected the toughest and record breaking fighter in the Underground district actually has an unhealthy obsession with cleanliness. Out of the 5 members in the gang , the new comer had already sent 3 of them crying for help and escaping the cabin on multiple occasions , only to be caught by the germaphobes devil himself. Attempting to run away from possibly the cleanest house in the Underground city will only result in being assigned to more back breaking household chores. Farlan and Elizabeth shuddered at the thought of it , they persevered while holding tightly onto their mops and brooms with their shaking , calloused hands and swept over the same area a few times before the household chore sergeant made his inspection. Spotless , speckless , and sanitised , It had took the gang a whole week to brighten the house before Levi is pleased with their services. However , they were only rewarded with the request , or order , to comeby and clean his place again every week.

The gang eyed on the the extra rooms in Levi's house , it was even more spacious and vacant than their two rooms cabin. Ever since Elizabeth had joined them , the boys have been taking turns to sleep on the couch due to the lack of beds. Farlan used to share a room with Yan , and Samuel with John; However with the appearance of a girl member , Farlan readily gave up his bedroom and joined the other 2 boys in their sleep despite of Yan's active disagreement. According to Farlan , a girl should have her own personal space. Using the promises of weekly cleaning and laundry services , and daily freshly cooked meals as a bait , Farlan took the opportunity and negotiated with the clean freak landlord to live in his place as tenants together with Elizabeth. Levi was reluctant but agreed to it anyway , not before beating himself over his obvious Achilles heel that Farlan had conveniently used it against him to get what he wanted , twice. Of course , Farlan had also conveniently left out the fact that Elizabeth's pet dog , Bandit , would also be coming to live with him. Hell would certainly break loose if Levi knew , but not yet.

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It has been a week since Farlan , Elizabeth and Bandit have moved in to stay with Levi. All had been smooth so far and no new information was learned by him. Every morning , Elizabeth woke up early as usual to prepare breakfast for Farlan and Levi. She learned that Levi was a man of his own habits , exactly an hour after she woke up at 7am , Levi would emerge from his room properly dressed and settle down on the dining table to read the daily papers. Initially , she would pour him a cup of tea while he was reading but he waited for another 3 minutes for it to cool down before taking a sip. Elizabeth noticed his strange consistent habits and figured to serve his tea earlier before heading out to practice her martial arts on the wooden dummy.

The 3D maneuver gears have been left untouched ever since Elizabeth had presented them to Farlan as a gift. There wasn't time for them to practice on using the new equipments as they have been preoccupied with revamping Levi's house. Feeling a little adventurous , Elizabeth decided to test those wondrous flying device on her own while Farlan continued to engage in his slumber session.

Harness checked , gas cylinder checked , hand grips checked , black box checked. "Now for firing. " Elizabeth stood at the building directly opposite Levi's house and signaled herself while she aimed the grapple hooks on the ceiling. She applied force on her hand grips triggering the hooks to launch and secured themselves above her. Elizabeth's feet were lifted off the ground , she tried to remain steady in mid air but the sudden lifting force took her off guard and threw her off balance , flipping her over and resulted in an upside down position with her feet in the air and her long raven hair touching the dirty ground.

" Oh wow , " she laughed nervously , surprised at how powerful those maneuver gears were. As if on cue , Levi's room door opened and their eyes met each other's through the window. Elizabeth felt her cheeks heating up , embarrassed at the awkward position Levi found her in. He broke eye contact and nonchalantly went ahead with his usual morning routine , grabbing his usual seat by the dining table and read the daily papers while sipping on the freshly prepared Earl Grey tea , seemingly unaffected by what he had just saw. Elizabeth struggled to let herself down , bending her torso upwards trying to unbuckle the harness that was attached to the black box , she fumbled with the handgrips in attempt to retract the grapple hooks but to no avail , nothing worked , she had zero knowledge on how the 3D maneuver gear operates. Her back was strained and her legs were numb , with blood rushing to her head she was starting to feel light headed and tiny black particles were crowding her sight , blurring her vision. Her body dangled in mid air , swaying in a sea sick motion , she felt like passing out and throwing up together from hanging upside down for a prolonged period. Without her knowledge , all of her pointless and pathetic dying insect act was all being observed by Levi who was still sitting comfortably at the dining table with his papers tipped over as he watched her in amusement from the other side of the window.

Elizabeth closed her eyes and allowed her hands to fall above her head in defeat , " What an asshole , hope he chokes on tea. " she cursed Levi silently.

" Tch , you're not only annoying. You're pretty dumb too. " she heard a familiar low and mellow voice spoke with the associated sarcasm. She felt her legs freed from the strap-oh-death and heard a mechanical whirring sound which was later accompanied by a clean clashing of metals. Levi slung Elizabeth's sluggish body over his shoulder and softly laid her on the living room couch before he proceeded to continue with his breakfast routine.

Elizabeth allowed herself some time to recover before sitting up , " Thanks. " she grumbled unenthusiastically. It was not that she didn't like Levi ,she looked up to him and respected him as a tough fighter, but he was so different from Farlan. They were polar opposites. Farlan was warm , kind and approachable , some what like a puppy ; while Levi on the other end was harsh , sarcastic , with personality almost resembling a cold hard wall. He doesn't start conversations either , having dinner with him on the same table was so quiet that you could hear a pin drop and his presence alone could dampen the atmosphere, you could almost feel the chills in the air emiting out from him.

" You lack strength and balance , like your combat. " Levi spoke , his eyes not tearing away from the news article. Elizabeth pondered silently before she decided to request for Levi to train her , he would probably disagree to it anyway but there was no harm asking. " C-Could you help me to get stronger ?" she stuttered , stumbling over her speech. Levi lowered his papers , as he was about to speak , the sound of a puppy yelping and door scratching was heard coming from Elizabeth's room. " No Bandit ! Think fast! " Elizabeth panicked. Out of a sudden , she started to cough loudly and violently attempting to hide and over power the noise coming from her room.

" I already knew, " Levi's eyes bore into hers unamused , " and your attempt was pathetic." he continued. Elizabeth's cheeks turned pink and hung her head in shame , there's already one too many embarrassing act Levi had caught her red handed in , " i'm sorry…" she apologized. Levi despised the thought that he was living under the same roof with an animal , but was baffled that his new tenant tried to hide it from him and actually thought he wouldn't notice. He let out a deep sigh , " if i ever see a strand of hair in my house, that dog is out of here. " he warned as he made his way outside. Elizabeth's head remained lowered in embarrassment as Levi strolled past her , " So are you going to fight me or are you just going to sit there? " He called out to her. Elizabeth's mouth lifted into a smile and followed Levi , maybe he wasn't so mean after all.

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 **Author's note :** Thanks for the reviews! Keep them coming ( :


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